Meet the Artists: New Video Interviews from SJIMA's Summer 2026 Exhibitions
- SJIMA
- Jul 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 9
This summer, SJIMA Trustee and Lead Docent Marney Reynolds sat down with the artists behind our three Summer 2026 exhibitions — and, for the Cunningham · Partridge show, with guest curator Meg Partridge — filming conversations right in the galleries where the works are exhibited. From the century-spanning legacy of the Cunningham-Partridge family to the meditative precision of Chris Maynard's feather art to the collaborative choreography of Raven Skyriver's glassblowing, these interviews offer a rare, unhurried look behind each body of work. All three are now live on SJIMA's YouTube channel and here on sjima.org.
Convergence & Divergence: The Family Aesthetic
Nichols Gallery — An Interview with Guest Curator Meg Partridge
Meg Partridge — Rondal Partridge's daughter and the exhibition's guest curator — spent months selecting and pairing images from three artists across nearly 110 combined years of work: her grandmother Imogen Cunningham, her grandfather Roi Partridge, and her father Rondal Partridge.
"For me, it's all about telling a story — creating their history and their lives within a really limited view of these wonderful images that in and of themselves tell a story." - Meg Partridge
In the interview, Meg walks through how she grouped the photographs and etchings to reveal each artist's individual voice — from Imogen's self-taught mastery of darkroom chemistry to Roi's plein-air etching practice to Rondal's apprenticeships with Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams.
Feathered Masterpieces: The Artistry of Chris Maynard
North Gallery — An Artist Interview with Chris Maynard
Chris Maynard traces his lifelong fascination with feathers back to age twelve, when his grandfather took him to Woodland Park Zoo and he got to pick up flamingo feathers in the cages — feathers he still has today. Today he carves shed feathers into intricate scenes using surgical-grade tools — he originally worked with his father's own surgical instruments, inherited from his father's career as an eye surgeon, until those tools eventually wore out and he moved on to surgery-grade tools of his own.
"I show feathers in ways that people haven't seen before, and I'd like them to take away seeing feathers in new ways, and therefore birds, too — and going out and maybe having a little more sparkle." - Chris Maynard
Watch Chris walk through his cutting process up close and talk about sourcing feathers ethically from private aviaries and zoos, including a two-decade friendship built on nothing more than an annual shipment of shed feathers.
Fluid Life: Glass Sculptures Inspired by the Sea
Sterner Atrium Gallery — An Artist Interview with Raven Skyriver
Raven Skyriver began working in glass as a teenager and has spent decades since honing the sculptural techniques behind his marine-inspired work — all achieved with glass color alone, without a single stroke of paint.
"Glass reflects light and absorbs light and kind of emits light, depending on the situation — so being in a glass atrium like this is cool, because people can come and see the work and it'll change depending on what day you're here. It can change within a short period of time as the natural light changes." - Raven Skyriver
In the interview, Raven breaks down the sandblasting technique behind his sea turtle and shark pieces, explains why the Sterner Atrium Gallery's natural light makes his work look different every time you visit, and describes the five- and six-person teams it takes to bring his largest sculptures to life.
Plan Your Visit
Hearing directly from the people who made this work adds a whole new dimension to seeing it in person. All three exhibitions are on view now through September 14, 2026, at SJIMA, 540 Spring Street in Friday Harbor. Summer hours are Thursday through Monday, 11 AM–5 PM. General admission is $10; members and visitors under 18 are always free, and it's pay-what-you-like every Monday. Come see the originals for yourself.
SJIMA gratefully acknowledges the generous support that makes our Summer 2026 exhibitions possible: Honeywell Foundation, Mark Torrance Foundation, Town of Friday Harbor, San Juan County, San Juan Island Community Foundation, Barbara Von Gehr, Peg Gerlock, and Phil Johnson. In-kind support provided by Harbor Rental, Printonyx, Piece of Cake Painting, and Friday Harbor Suites.
